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1 Cash - Quang Trung Thông Bảo, with crescent
| Issuer | Empire of Vietnam |
|---|---|
| Year | 1788-1792 |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Technique | Cast |
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| Obverse description | Cast copper cash coin featuring four Chinese characters in regular script (kaishu) arranged radially around a central square hole, reading top-to-bottom and right-to-left: 光 (top), 通 (right), 中 (bottom), 寶 (left), forming the four-character reign legend 光中通寶 (Quang Trung Thông Bảo). The characters are rendered in bold relief within the inner field, separated from the outer rim by a raised inner border encircling the square perforation. The field shows the characteristic rough texture typical of Vietnamese cast coinage of the late 18th century. |
|---|---|
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| Reverse description | Plain reverse field surrounding the central square hole, with one or more cast crescent marks positioned at various locations relative to the square perforation depending on the variety. The inner border ring and outer raised rim are present as on the obverse. The field is otherwise unadorned, exhibiting the rough, slightly uneven surface typical of Vietnamese cast cash coinage. The crescent(s) serve as mint or batch control marks distinguishing the various sub-types catalogued by Toda (nos. 193–195). |
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| Additional information |
Quang Trung — born Nguyễn Huệ — seized the throne in 1788 after leading the Tây Sơn rebellion to one of its defining military victories: a lightning campaign against a Qing Chinese occupying force of some 200,000 troops that was routed in less than a week during the Tết offensive of 1789. His reign was too short for an extensive monetary program, and cash coins bearing his era name were struck across a relatively compressed window before his death in 1792 at approximately 40 years old.
The crescent reverse mark distinguishes this variety from the plain-reverse issues and likely indicates a specific furnace or casting supervisory unit — a common administrative practice in Vietnamese and Chinese cash production of the period.